Feds set hearings for Texas Eastern pipeline proposal

September 4, 2013

SALEM - Another pipeline is planned in the southern part of Columbiana County and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has set two public hearings that are part of environmental assessment (EA) process.

Texas Eastern Transmission LP, a subsidiary of Spectra Energy Corp., expects to expand its existing system by building a new 73.44 mile, 30-inch pipeline aimed at providing markets in the Midwest, Southeast and Gulf Coast with additional natural gas.

Plans call for Texas Eastern to file an application with FERC in January of 2014, begin construction in February of 2015 and complete the project in November of 2015.

The pipeline, beginning at the newly-built Kensington (M-3 Midstream LLC) cryogenic plant, will run through Carroll, Belmont, Jefferson and Monroe counties.

Texas Eastern referred to the Kensington plant as a receipt meter and regulator station.

The line will include a compressor station with a new meter and regulator station will be located in Jefferson County while two new meter and regulation stations will be built in Columbiana County.

Another new regulator station will be located in Monroe County.

Texas Eastern says it will modify existing compressor stations to allow bi-directional flow to its system in Scioto County in Ohio, Monroe County in Kentucky, Hinds and Jefferson counties in Mississippi, and West Feliciana Parish in Louisiana.

It could provide 550,000 dekatherms per day from the Kensington plant.

Two hearings for public comment will be held at Edison High School in Richmond, Ohio at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 and at the J.B Martin Recreation Center, 102 Fair Ave., St. Clairsville, at 7 p.m. Sept. 17.

FERC said public input helps the commission staff determine what issues it needs to evaluate in the environmental assessment and the meetings will provide more information

Public input can be written or verbally delivered.

According to a FERC notice for an EA, pipeline construction will disturb about 1,300 acres for the line itself and above-ground facilities.

Once completed, Texas Eastern intends to maintain 445 acres for permanent operations of its facilities with the remaining acreage restored to the former users.

The intent is to maximize previous right-of-ways and about 33.6 miles (46 percent) of the new pipeline co-located within an existing transmission line corridor.

Public comments can be submitted to FERC by accessing efiling@ferc.gov under the link "Documents and Filings" or mail a paper copy to Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., NE, Room 1A, Washington, D.C. 204426 and include the docket number: PF 12-15-000.